Moonrakers beaten by Hinds

Lake Garage Central Lancashire Cricket League AN exhilarating unbeaten century from professional Ryan Hinds guided Rochdale to a comfortable eight-wicket win over Middleton on Sunday, yet their hopes of winning the CLL title now hang by the barest thread.

AN exhilarating unbeaten century from professional Ryan Hinds guided Rochdale to a comfortable eight-wicket win over Middleton on Sunday, yet their hopes of winning the CLL title now hang by the barest thread.

With Littleborough also winning, Rochdale now find themselves seven points behind with two games remaining.

But Roger Oldfield's men are not going to surrender meekly, as the sun-baked crowd at Towncroft on Sunday will testify.

His team took a strangehold on the game almost from the start, restricting the Mooonrakers to 202 on a wicket which oozed runs.

Then, thanks to Hinds' wonderful knock and a typically robust innings from Daz Cryer, Rochdale had no trouble reaching the required target with nearly 20 overs to spare.

It was fun in the sun for the Rochdale team and their supporters, but a tale of woe for Middleton who, in recent weeks, had put together a string of wins following a dreadful start to the season.

The performances of the two professionals were key to the result.

Hinds bowled 25 overs from the Towncroft Avenue end to pick up three wickets, and his first century for the club can only have Redbrook fans salvitating at the thought of what to expect next summer.

Sajith Fernando, who is not being retained, must be kicking himself for what might have been.

It took him the best part of 35 overs to reach 50 and then inexplicably he charged down the wicket to Neil Avery to be comprehensively stumped by Oldfield without adding to his score.

Had he remained at the crease, and there were still about 10 overs left when he departed the scene, Middleton might just have been able to set Rochdale a challenging target.

The Sri Lankan didn't have a really good day with the ball either. He conceded 75 off eight overs as Hinds took him to cleaners.

Middleton captain John Punchard had no hesitation in batting on winning the toss, but Rochdale secured an early breakthrough when Steve Oddy managed to find the edge of Steve Davey's bat, the ball flying straight through to Oldfield behind the stumps.

Dave Kumara and Fernando then put on 80 for the second wicket, but it was slow-going, with Fernando not getting enough of the strike as both Hinds and Avery, operating in tandem, gradually turned the screw.

Kumara departed the scene with the score on 98, clean bowled by Hinds' quicker ball, and he was followed back to the pavilion seven runs later by Scott Stanworth who was bowled by Avery.

Fernando and Ryan took the score to 160 before the Middleton professional threw his wicket away.

Ryan and Kevin Dufeu added 29, but Middleton never really recovered from the loss of Fernando and four wickets went down in the space of 13 runs as the Moonrakers finished on 202 for nine.

Many in the crowd thought that was never going to be remotely enough, including Towncroft institution Paul Rocca who mused 250 or even 260 would have been a much more realistic target.

He was right, of course.

Despite the loss of openers Simon Brierley (16) and Mark Gardiner (13), both out with the score on 33, Hinds and Cryer were never troubled by a Middleton attack lacking bite and accuracy.

Hinds reached his 50 of 36 balls, with nine fours and a six, and his ton came up in 93 balls with an incredible 14 fours and four sixes.

Two of his sixes easily cleared the big trees and the fence at the Hollin Lane end, while spectators in front of the pavilion also took a peppering.

The Barbadian was dropped twice, on six when Punchard spilled a difficult return catch, and on 23 behind the stumps, but generally he was in complete command to finish unbeaten on 118.

He was given wonderful support by Cryer whose 44 not out was punctuated by several sizzling cover drives and a big six near the scorebox.